Ties That Bind
by Kiva
Summary: Missing/added scenes from the episode 'Ties That Bind.'S/J friendship, as well as some Sam/Chloe bonding, and team gathering. Please read/review. Thank you:)


Disclaimer ;The characters of Profiler are not mine, nor do I lay any claims on them.  
  
Authors Notes; Kind of missing / added scenes from the episode 'Ties That Bind.' As with my last story, still wanted a bit more Sam/John interaction....this is mostly of the friendship variety, though there are hints from the rest of the teams thoughts that they think it's a little more. I'm still working on a longer one, so who knows what will develop between our two intrepid Task Force members......G Although this story ends without going into it, I'm sure those that are familar with this episode, with remember that after Bailey had entered the command center and convened everyone, he revealed that Sharon/Jill had tried to kill Tom's parents....I didn't continue with that storyline, but who knows......maybe I will.;)  
  
*****  
  
The explosion that ripped through the compound was enormous, and the shockwave was big enough to send a wave of heat sweeping over the floored forms of John and Marcus as they lay on the ground, Andrew Yeung pinned under them. Flames shot into the sky, with smoke beggining to billow.  
  
As the others in the surveillence van scrambled to get to their fallen colleagues, the fire raged on.  
  
After ensuring that the proper authorities had been alerted, Bailey ran along with the other agents headed to the inferno, quickly catching up to Sam. He could see Marcus picking himself up, but John had yet to move, even as another agent grabbed the Yeung boy, holding him prone as he placed handcuffs on the unresisting form. Marcus spared them a quick glance as he saw Andrew being taken into custody, but quickly turned back to John.  
  
"John? Hey, c'mon man. John?"  
  
Opening his eyes with an effort as he rolled over painfully onto his back, John Grant was under no illusions this time about seeing any angels. Instead, he saw Marcus Peyton leaning over him, something that resembled concern on his face.  
  
"Damn," he groaned. "What the hell hit me?"  
  
Peyton actually laughed. "More like what the hell *you* hit." Helping him into a sitting position, he pointed to the ground just in front of them. "Looks like you bumped your head on a rock."  
  
John looked blankly at the offending object, before the pounding in his head distracted him. "Huh," was all he said, making Peyton laugh again.  
  
"Are you two okay?" Bailey called as they came upon them.  
  
Peyton nodded. "I'm cool, but I think John here should get checked over by the paramedics. He took a header into a rock."  
  
"I'm alright," John protested as he levered himself upright with some help from Bailey and Marcus.  
  
"Of course you are," Malone agreed, watching as the agent swayed a little.  
  
It was Sam that reached out a hand to steady him. "You would say that you were fine if you got hit by a bus,"she scolded. She couldn't see any marks visible on his face or forehead, but was rewarded with a hiss of pain as her fingers probed through his hair on the side of his head, brushing over a lump."I think you should sit down."  
  
Since John couldn't actually concentrate on which Sam was talking to him, he decided to take *all* of their advice, and promptly passed out.  
  
*****  
  
After John had been diagnosed with a concussion and refused to be carted off to the hospital for overnight observation, insisting that he was fine, Sam Waters returned with the rest of the team to the V.C.T.F. This case had been a tough one, and that was putting it mildly. Entire families wiped out......mothers, fathers, sisters......Andrew's sister.  
  
Sam frowned as she thought of the young woman, before quickly trying to stop her mind from continuing it's wandering.  
  
After Yeung had been taken into custody, he had been left in one of the interview rooms, as the members of the team had gathered in the command center, ready to wrap up the case. As they watched a replay of the compound explosion, Sam even theorised that it was possible that Nichols, the man responsible for this mess, could have escaped. It didn't offer them any comfort, and Sam watched as the rest of the team left the room, off to complete any task they could get their hands on, no doubt. Sam knew that she could do with something to take her mind off of what had happened. But first, she had to do one more thing.  
  
As she entered the hallway where she could observe the suspect that sat in the interview room, Sam felt a presence behind her. She knew it was Bailey, even before she saw his reflection. Taking a breath, she began to talk. And after discussing the case, motivations that they could never really be sure of, Sam decided to take her leave, her head a little clearer for talking to Bailey.  
  
She passed the guards stationed at the Fire House, smiling weakly at them, before heading up in the elevator. With a sigh, she entered the living quarters of the firehouse. She listened out for signs of her daughter, her anticapatory smile fading into an angry frown.  
  
Stupid, she chided herself. You knew she wasn't here. Shaking her head as the tears caused by her daughters enforced absence stung her eyes, Sam moved over to the couch, dropping her bag and removing her coat. She didn't have the energy to hang them up. Wrapping her arms around herself, she fought to get warm. Was it always so cold here? Or had the warmth been sapped from this place when her daughter had been taken from her? It didn't matter. Because until she had her little girl here, until she could hug her, feel her......Sam found that she didn't really care.  
  
*****  
  
The next day, all work at the main office of the V.C.T.F ceased, as Bailey Malone strode in purposefully, waiting until he had the attention of his team before making his anouncement.  
  
"I just got word.....the court awarded Sam custody of Chloe back."  
  
The expected cheers sounded, and Malone watched with a smile on his face as the team celebrated. At last, *something* had turned out right.  
  
*****  
  
With a sigh, Sam entered the living quarters of the Firehouse. Deja Vu, she smiled to herself. Only now as she listened out for sounds of her friend or daughter, she smiled as she heard what could only be Chloe's childish laughter, coming from the direction of the kitchen, accompanied by a deeper, but definitely feminine laugh. Her smile grew as she watched the pair try to bake cookies, with Chloe sneakily eating most of the cookie dough behind Angel's back, even managing to sneak some to Denzel the dog every now and then.  
  
She must have made a noise or given some sign of her presence, as Angel chose that moment to look up and smile at her, causing Chloe to raise her head as well.  
  
"Mom!" her little girl cried, quickly forgetting the cookies in her haste to run to greet her mother.  
  
"Oomph!" was the noise that escaped Sam, as her daughter eagerly impacted her. It swiftly turned into a delighted laugh as she lifted Chloe into her arms, giving her a kiss on the cheek before recieving one herself. "Hey, sweetheart......have you been behaving yourself for Angel?"  
  
Chloe nodded her head in the way young children did when they wanted you to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they really *have* done something. "Uh huh. We were just making some cookies. To celebrate the judge letting me come back."  
  
Sam nodded knowingly, narrowing her eyes playfully, even though her heart ached a little at her daughters innocent take on the custody battle that had almost ruined her life. "Hmm.....are you sure you weren't just *eating* the cookie dough, instead?"  
  
Chloe's eyes widened guiltily, as Angel smothered a smile. "Chloe!" the artist said, mock outrage in her voice. "Is that true?"  
  
"I'm sorry......but it tasted really good."  
  
Angel pretended to consider this. "Well, I don't blame you, not really.....I guess I just make irresitable cookies."  
  
Chloe nodded again, before catching sight of her mother. Sam had her head down, her hair falling into her face and obscurring it. But Chloe could swear that she was smiling. "Mom!" Chloe exclaimed, realising that the two had just been playing with her. The two *adults* finally gave into their laughter, and after a pout or two, Chloe joined them.  
  
"The dough really was nice, Angel."  
  
"Well," Angel replied. "Why don't you go and wash up and I'll put the cookies in the oven, huh?"  
  
Chloe nodded again in that eager way that children have, and Sam let her down to the floor.  
  
"Come on Denzel," she said happily, skipping off as the large dog trailed behind.  
  
"So how was your day?"Angel asked when the girl was gone.  
  
Sam sighed, slumping down at the kitchen table.  
  
"That bad, huh?"  
  
Sam nodded. "Yep. We wrapped up a case just before the hearing......or we thought we did. A few other things popped out of the woodwork, so we had to re-hash it. What it boils down to is, a lot of lives wasted, all because of one man and the way he could twist people's minds. It just........I don't even think it suprises me anymore. And I don't know if that's a good thing."  
  
Angel closed the oven door, turning to Sam as she put the dish towel in her hand down. "Depends on your view, I suppose." She could see how distracted her friend was. " Sam.....do you need to talk?"  
  
Sam seemed to come back from wherever she'd gone in her mind, and shook her head. "No. I just.....no, I'm fine. Really."  
  
Angel nodded, knowing that she would get nothing out of Sam that her friend didn't want her to. "Okay. But you know if you need to....."  
  
"Thanks," Sam smiled.  
  
Further conversation was interrupted as Chloe came running into the kitchen. "All done," she declared brightly.  
  
"Well," Sam said, her mood completely changing as her daughter came into view. "Why don't we order in tonight......that way, we can play some games in the living room instead of having to cook."  
  
Chloe nodded eagerly. "Yeah! Can we?"  
  
Sam looked to Angel, quirking an eyebrow. "Pizza sounds good," her friend said.  
  
Chloe turned to her mother. "Mom?"  
  
"C'mon," Sam grinned, following the other two into the living room......determined to put the last cases events out of her mind. Until she was alone to think it over carefully, that was. Thank God it was almost Friday.  
  
**********  
  
Sam walked into the offices of the V.C.T.F with a bounce in her step, earning several slightly startled looks, that soon turned into pleased smiles. It wasn't often that her colleagues saw their best Profiler in such a mood. But Sam had spent an entire, uninterrupted evening with Chloe and Angel, with no cases intruding in need of her attention.  
  
"Sam?"  
  
She turned to see Bailey poking his head out of his office. "Briefing in twenty minutes."  
  
She nodded, treating him to a bright smile, which he returned, pleased at her seemingly good mood, before he retreated back into his office. As she made it to her own office, her mood darkened slightly, as she looked at the files from current cases, and even more so when she caught sight of the wall she had devoted to Jack. She transferred her gaze to her desk, her eyes falling on the picture of Chloe she kept there. Smiling gently, she picked it up, tracing her daughters features. She felt her spirits lift, if only slightly. Placing it down just as softly, Sam moved to the other side of her desk, seating herself. Maybe she'd have time to get some work done before the briefing started. She lifted the first folder, quickly losing herself in the case.  
  
**********  
  
"So, John, Marcus, you two hit the phones.....someone has to have supplied the materials this guy needed, and I want to know who. Georgie, you do your magic on that machine. Grace, the fourth body is on it's way here now. And Sam, see if there's anything you may be able to add to his profile after this latest killing. Alright people, let's go."  
  
Grace pulled herself up from her seat, watching as Bailey moved off, his stride eating up the distance to his office. "Why is it that I feel the need to salute?"  
  
"Because Bailey had a flashback to his days in the service?" John asked.  
  
"He's just stressed by this case," Sam said, her eyes on the spot that Bailey had just occupied. "He probably feels a little helpless. This guy is killing every three days. Doesn't give us much time."  
  
"It never does," John muttered.  
  
Grace and Sam shared a look. "Well, I've been banished to the lab.....And since I forgot to say when it happened the other day, John, I'm glad you weren't hurt bad. But try *not* to get yourself brained again, alright?"  
  
John grinned, while George smirked. "You are of course implying that he *has* a brain," he joked.  
  
"Hey," John protested, balling up a piece of paper and throwing it at the smiling computer expert.  
  
"Kids," Grace admonished. "Don't you have some work to do, George?" She gave a pointed look to him, before indicating Sam and John with her eyebrows. She hadn't missed that John seemed a little distracted since his return. And Sam seemed to be able to wheedle stuff like that out of him.  
  
George caught on, and shut his computer off, preparing to use another terminal. Preferably one outside of hearing range of the briefing table. "Yep. Marcus?"  
  
The newest member of the team still hadn't gotten the hang of everything, but he had noticed the weird relationship that his fellow Task Force members seemed to be involved in, consciously or not. "Yeah, I have to er.....place those phone calls."  
  
The three left, while Sam and John watched, both of them a little confused. It didn't take Sam long to figure it out, though.  
  
"So," she started. "How are you feeling?"  
  
He turned his attention to her. "Good. I'm good. How about you?"  
  
She smiled. "Well, I wasn't knocked unconscious the other day, but.....I'm fine."  
  
He returned the smile, and they sat in slience for a moment, before Sam spoke. "That was a, er......a tough case."  
  
"Yeah," he agreed. Her hopes of leading him into conversation were rewarded, when he sighed, then continued speaking. "I just don't understand how anyone could kill their family like that. How anyone in their right mind could hurt someone they love."  
  
Sam tilted her head, ignoring the cascade of hair that fell in front of her shoulder.  
  
"Well, these people weren't exactly in their right mind. And people hurt the ones they love all the time," she added softly. He nodded, his eyes focused downwards.  
  
"Yeah......but I still don't understand it."  
  
She gave him an understanding smile as he stood, and he returned it, though his was tinged with sadness.  
  
"I've got to make some phone calls, so....I'll see you later."  
  
Sam nodded, watching as he left. She had a good idea what was bothering him. She knew a little of his past. She knew his father, who should have loved John and his mother regardless, simply hadn't lived up to his role as father and husband. And whether the hurt had been emotional or physical, the result was the same.  
  
She looked down at the folder holding information on their current case, documantation of yet another horrible act. It was true, sometimes the evil in the world targeted those it knew or loved best...... but Sam wasn't completly jaded. She knew that there was just enough goodness, kindness and love in the world to balence. And as she watched John joke with George as he headed over to his desk, and playfully butt heads with Bailey, who was striding forward rapidly, barking orders that he wanted everyone in the control room *now,* she felt that John knew too.  
  
Unknown to Sam, it was something that *she'd * need to keep in mind during the following days, after she had learned of Jack and Jill's latest plot. But with friends such as these to remind her......she didn't think she'd forget.  
  
The End. 


End file.
